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UN says Gaza faces rising hunger, limited fuel and water; urges scale-up of aid and ceasefire
Summary
The United Nations reported escalating humanitarian needs in Gaza, with rising malnutrition and insufficient aid and fuel to sustain critical services, and reiterated calls for a ceasefire and expanded humanitarian access to reach roughly 2 million people in need.
The United Nations briefed that humanitarian conditions in Gaza have deteriorated sharply, with starvation increasing, widespread damage to health facilities and shortages of medicine, fuel and clean water that limit lifesaving operations.
The UN reported that 71 community kitchens prepared and delivered more than 270,000 hot meals across Gaza in a recent 24-hour period, including about 10,000 meals delivered to health facilities, but said the number of meals is "far below" what is needed to reach more than 2,000,000 people. The briefing said an urgent scale-up of supplies and an operating environment that allows humanitarians to reach people safely, rapidly and efficiently are required.
The World Health Organization told the briefing it had recorded 46 cases of Guillain-Barre9 syndrome in July with two deaths and that 38% of cases required intensive treatment; WHO said the syndrome can be linked to compromised immune systems, poor nutrition and hygiene-related infections. The UN also said that three fuel tankers were delivered to Gaza City and offloaded at a UN-managed station for use at critical health, water, sanitation and emergency telecommunications facilities, but that current fuel levels only allow the UN and partners to operate at a bare minimum.
The secretary-general reiterated calls for a ceasefire and said the UN will continue to engage with Israeli authorities and the Palestinian Authority. In response to a question about reports that the Israeli cabinet was discussing a plan to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, the secretary-general's office declined to comment on speculative actions but reiterated calls for de-escalation and implementation of a ceasefire, noting UN staff have continued to operate in Gaza despite heavy losses.
The briefing also noted that humanitarian partners face many impediments to bringing in and distributing aid in sufficient quantities, and that malnutrition, weakened immunity and collapsing health services increase the risk of long-term harm to children and other vulnerable groups. The UN said it would brief the Security Council on Gaza later the same day.
